​﻿Photography Ramblings

​Tap in “Photography filters” in to a search engine and you will get sites about the different types of photography filters, sites on where to buy photography filters and sites on what photography filters you should have in your kit bag. One type of filter site you won’t come across in the first few pages of search results is when to actually use the filters you have been convinced you simply have to buy.
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Well, this article is designed to fill that gap. Yep, this article focuses on when you should actually use those photography filters. One of the biggest skills in using photography filters is actually knowing when not to use them and leave them in your photography bag. This may seem a little counter intuitive but it’s true, trust me………….

When to use a UV filter

​UV filters are supposedly meant to reduce the glare (and to some extent) haze from your photos. Well that’s what the front of the box says. A few years ago I decided to test this, yes I know it may seem a little sad, but I wanted to see if the UV filter had a significant effect or not.
My test simply comprised taking the same shot with the same camera/lens set up with the UV filter attached to the lens and without the UV filter attached to the lens, and then loading them on the computer and doing a bit of pixel peeping.
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My UV filter test showed that the UV filter did reduce the glare (a little) however this effect was very slight and I could only see it when I zoomed right in. If I left it at 100% zoom I couldn’t see any difference at all. Even at 120%, 150% and 200% the effect was so slight it hardly seemed worth spending out on a UV filter.

One thing I did notice was the UV filter affected the image quality, and whilst the effect of this wasn’t obvious at 100% once I started zooming in more and more the difference in image quality between the photo taken with the UV filter attached and the photo taken without the UV filter attached became more and more apparent.

Even though the UV filter doesn’t reduce the glare and haze (there are other filters to do this) I make sure each and every one of my lenses has a UV filter attached at all times. I use UV filters as protection for my lenses, always have and always will and I am happy to suffer the slight loss in image quality for this.

I would prefer to have slightly (and I mean slightly) less image quality and protect the front element of my lenses than risk damaging them for the ultimate image quality, which in reality no-one will ever realize and paying customers definitely won’t realize. I would much rather scratch the UV filter and have to spend a few quid on a replacement than scratch the front element of my L series lenses and have to shell out a few hundred bucks replacing a lens.

Some people may think that I am being a little over the top with this, however I have had fist hand experience. Long story short I dropped my camera and lens (a Canon 24 – 70 F2.8L), destroying the filter and leaving the lens intact. If you want to hear my story, and learn from my mishap take a look at this blog post.

The decision to use a UV filter is entirely down to personal preference and what you decide to do is entirely your look out. You could be like me and always use a UV filter, or you may decide to dispense with them entirely. Alternatively, you may decide to use a UV lens in specific circumstances (such as when you’re out in the countryside having to deal with Mother Nature) and leave the UV off the lens when you are taking interior shots in the photography studio.

When to use a neutral density filter

​Neutral density (“ND”) filters are typically used to slow the exposure and decrease the shutter speed to introduce movement and artistic blur. ND filters are typically used in landscape photography where water is involved. ND filters are also used to turn clouds all wispy and, for want of a better word, cotton woolly. ND filers are also used to introduce movement in foliage, such as corn fields and the like.
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You do need to use ND filters with care and make sure you don’t use one that is too strong, i.e. increase the exposure time too much. A bit of movement will enhance your photo and give a pleasing photo. Using an ND filter that is too strong and trying to capture too much movement will turn parts of your photos in to a blurry mess.

Many times I have witnessed people taking landscape shots and instantly reaching for the ND filter is slow down the exposure when there is no need, and the filter won’t have any effect on the photo at all.

As an example, I was in Austria last year and a fellow tourist used an ND filter to take a photo of a traditional Austrian mountain house in some green hills against a cloudless sky. There was nothing in the scene that was moving. During the day I noticed this photography enthusiast use an ND filter for every single landscape shot. Okay, some of his shots involved water (and there was the opportunity to capture a little movement) but most of the shots were of totally static scenes. This bloke obviously knew how to use an ND filter but failed to understand when to use the ND filter.

If there is no movement in the scene a ND filter is not needed and there really is no point in increasing the exposure times, unless you want some additional time to stand around and wait of course.

If there is movement in the scene and you want to capture it, you need to attach an ND filter to your lens. Just be careful not to overcook it and use one that is too much and turns your photo in to a blurry mess because you won’t be able to rectify it on your computer with photo editing software.

For my landscape photography I have a set of ND filters comprising of 1 stop, 2 stop, 3 stop and 4 stop filters. I use square ND filters (plus a filter holder) for landscape photography because this system allows me to use multiple filters as required.

As well as landscape photography an ND filter is also useful for outdoor portrait photography. There are times when there will be an abundance of light and the only way to achieve the correct exposure is to use the lowest ISO, the fastest shutter speed and stop the lens right down.

Stopping down the lens increases the depth of field, which is not ideal for portrait photography. If you’re using a plain photography background stopping down the lens won’t matter that much, but if you want a nice and natural background stopping down the lens will affect the photo because the subject/model and the background will both be sharp. Using an ND filter in this situation is a big help.

When you use an ND filter in this situation the idea is not to increase the exposure time but to reduce the depth of field. In this situation you need to leave the shutter speed and ISO well alone and adjust the aperture, i.e. open it up, in order to get the correct exposure. Opening up the lens reduces the depth of field and will result in a tack sharp subject/model against a nicely blurred out background, which is the effect we usually want.

I own a set of ND filters comprising of 1 stop, 2 stop, 3 stop and 4 stop filters, which I find covers all situations. I use screw in ND filters for outdoor portrait photography because I find a filter holder and square ND filters is big, bulky and cumbersome to move around with – I like to be mobile and will move all around the subject/model to capture photos from different positions and angles.

"An ND filter will help get photos like this"
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​When to use a 10 stop ND filter

​A 10 stop ND filter is just a strong ND filter for very long exposures. Long exposure photography has become very popular over the last few years, and when you see the effect a 10 stop ND filter produces and the types of images that are being captures and created it is easy to see why. 10 stop ND filters are great for capturing photos of water and typically used taking photos of lakes and mountains, seascapes, waterfalls, weir pools and flowing rivers.
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The 10 stop ND filter appears to be the most over used and most misunderstood ND filter, and there are many people out there who don’t seem to understand this awesome photography filter. Based on some of the photos I have seen, the comments and questions about 10 stop filters on various photography forums and my own personal experience whilst out and about with the local photography club it seems pretty clear many people think that simply setting the camera to aperture priority mode, attaching the 10 stop filter and pressing the shutter button the end photo will be an award winning image.

Unfortunately, the 10 stop filter doesn’t work like this. There is a learning curve with the 10 stop ND filter and it takes time, practice, and a lot of poor shots to consistently get good shots using one. When you use a 10 stop ND filter you will have to edit the photo with some editing software, and there is no way of getting out of this. For example, a 10 stop ND filter will introduce a colour cast (this happens with all 10 stop ND filters) and you have to deal with this. There are many people who don’t seem to appreciate this fact.

There are times when a 10 stop ND filter is simply too strong. For example, I was with the photography club taking some photos of a weir. The river had recently been in flood and the water was flowing like hell, so there was plenty of movement to capture. A couple of my photography buddies instantly reached for the big stopper ND filter and were surprised when I reached for a 4 stop ND filter. Sure, I wanted to get some movement and make the water look ethereal and milky but I didn’t want it looking too smooth because the final photo would look too unrealistic, and I knew the 10 stop ND filter would be too much. My photography buddies didn’t even think a 10 stop ND filter would be too strong and automatically attached one to their lens and started taking photos.

The 10 stop ND filter is an awesome bit of kit that is well worth having, you just have to understand the best times to use it and when to leave it in your bag and use something else. Long exposure photography is very subjective and what is too much movement for one photographer will be just right for another. You need to decide what is acceptable for you, decide on how strong of an effect you want and then experiment with a 10 stop ND filter working out how to achieve the photos you are after.

I have two 10 stop ND filters. Both are square filters (I am not a fan of screw in 10 stop ND filters because I find them awkward to use) and comprise of a Zomei glass filter (for when I am at home) and a Hitech plastic/synthetic filter (for travelling). Check out “Review of the Zomei 10 stop filter” for a full, honest and unbiased review of this excellent 10 stop ND filter.

"A 10 stop ND filter will help achieve this effect"

When to use a graduated ND filter

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​When taking photos of landscapes you will often find the sky is correctly exposed but the land is dark and underexposed, or the land is correctly exposed but the sky is blown out and over exposed. Using a graduated ND filter will balance the exposures and ensure both the land and sky are correctly exposed.

A graduated ND filter will be useful for all landscape photos, so it is a filter you should always have on you. Even though a graduated ND filter will always be useful it is still possible to overcook it and use one that is too strong. Using a graduated ND filter that is too strong will result in correctly exposed land and a sky that is unnaturally dark (i.e. too dark) and too moody.

The big question is “what is too strong?” The answer to this is totally down to personal preference and what one photographer considers too strong another will consider just right. The trick is to play around with the graduated filters, experiment with them and discover what works best for you and achieves the results you are after.

I originally bought a set of graduated ND filters comprising a 1 stop, 2 stop and 3 stop filters. My most used graduated ND filter is the two stop, and if I had to have just one this would be the one I have. The one stop is never strong enough for the types of photos I want to capture, and the 3 stop is generally too strong, although there are times when I use it albeit rarely.

I have a set of hard edge graduated ND filters for flat landscapes and seascapes and I have a set of soft edge graduated ND filters for landscapes with rolling hills and mountains. I would suggest a set of both hard edge and soft edge to cover all situations, however if you only shoot flat landscapes the hard edge is all you need, and if you only shoot mountainous and hilly landscapes the soft edge is all you need, so there may be no need to spend money unnecessarily.

You can buy screw in graduated ND filters however these are a total waste of money. Screw in graduated ND filters have a fixed graduation line, they are difficult to set up and they are fiddly too. Square filters are a lot more versatile, easier to set up, easier to use and result in better images. Using a square filter set up also allows you to use other filters and stack them as required.

It is possible to create the graduated ND effect using photo editing software, and because of this many photographers now leave the graduated ND filters at home and consider them redundant. I have tried recreating the graduated ND effect and whilst I can get the photo almost there I struggle to get a polished photo that I am proud of. I realise this is user error and lack of training on my part, but in all honesty I don’t have the time or inclination to learn. I prefer to take photos rather than sit at the computer editing them, so I continue to use graduated ND filters. The other thing about using graduated ND filters is the satisfaction nailing the photos at the capture stage.

"A graduated ND filter helps balance the sky and the land"

When to use a circular polarizer filter

A circular polarizer (“CPL”) filter reduces haze and increases saturation, making greens greener and blues bluer. Using a CPL you can make the skies really blue, which is great for vacation shots, and make trees look lush green.

A CPL will also remove glare and reflections from water, glass and shiny surfaces. If you want to take photos of lakes, rivers, streams and brooks you should consider using a CPL. If you want to take photos of cars, motor cycles, lorries, trucks and other vehicles you should consider using a CPL. If you want to take photos of shiny subjects you should consider using a CPL. If you want to take photos of glass products you should consider using a CPL. A CPL is great for product photography – tip for all you Ebay sellers out there.

There has been a recent development in photo editing software and it is possible to re-create (to a certain extent) the effects of using a CPL. Editing software can only take the effect so far, and if you want to fully control it I’m afraid you will have to use a CPL attached to your lens.

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Keen photographer addicted to cameras, lenses and everything photography related. Feel free to follow me in my photography ramblings, and if you have any thoughts, comments, queries or anything else to add I would love to hear from you.